Currently, increasing requirements are being imposed on hospitals, convalescent homes and home care agencies to assure quality and safety of care for both patients and medical practitioners. Care giver shortage, worker injuries and an aging workforce have led to renew emphasis on care giver injury prevention. In the United States and abroad legislation has been proposed to eliminate manual lifting and transferring of patients.
Prior art patient lifts rely on fabric slings upon which the patient must be progressively rolled and lifted, or that need to be slid under the invalid. The installations of these slings usually requires a great deal of exertion on the part of multiple care givers, and are often the cause of occupational injuries to the care givers as well as potential injuries to the invalid.
A major additional problem with slings is their limited life and unknown strength condition. Although they may appear serviceable, the material ages with time and its ability to carry a load deteriorates. Its exposure to improper washing and drying environments (including harsh chemicals, high temperatures, etc.) which may vary substantially among different users is a critical factor. A chemically or thermally altered sling material may lose a significant portion of its load carrying capability and be unsafe for use, while still appearing serviceable.
Current practice with fabric slings is to discard them early in their potential useful life. They demand special washing and drying procedures, and are often discarded after a single use. All of these procedures and options result in increased costs.
Therefore, there is a need for a patient lifting apparatus which addresses some or all of the above identified inadequacies.